Leading arts figures trekked to East London today (10 June) for the launch of a new artist studio complex in Wapping housed in a former rum factory. The educational arts charity Bow Arts is behind the new space which houses 90 artist studios. Intriguingly, the site was once home to News International (the home of The Sun, Times, Sunday Times, and News of the World). The most evocative speech was delivered by Munira Mirza, the deputy mayor for education and culture for London, who reflected on the dramatic developments that have overtaken the East End in the past 30 years. Mirza discussed the 1980 film The Long Good Friday, a seminal gangster flick featuring the character Harold Shand, played by the late Bob Hoskins. In a key scene, Shand is travelling down the Thames, declaring at the same time that London, awash with opportunities (and cash), could be the capital of Europe. A redeveloped London could one day even host the Olympics, Shand insists (if he only knew). Nicholas Serota, the director of Tate, made the case for more public money in his address, or "artists will be pushed further to the margins", he said. And in a nod to the building's colourful past, he also pointed out that "within 24 hours, the artists working here will banish the ghosts that remain".